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Tuesday, 14 March 2017

Then & Now: Comparing Gear For Long Distance Walks

In the Tombstone Mountains on the Yukon walk

In 1990 I walked 1000 miles/1600km through the Yukon
Territory from south to north. In 2013 I walked 700 miles/1200km along the
Scottish Watershed. Both walks were in rough often boggy, often rocky country
with few paths. In the Yukon my pack weight averaged 22-28kg, on the Scottish Watershed it was 12-18kg. Here I’ve looked at the gear I used for each walk and how it
has changed.

In the Fannichs on the Scottish Watershed

Footwear:

Yukon: Vasque Summit leather boots weighing 3.5lbs/1.6kg
that easily lasted the whole walk. I chose these boots because although I had
already done much walking in trail shoes I wasn’t sure they’d stand up to the
rugged terrain.

Watershed: Inov8 Terroc trail shoes weighing 1.5lbs/698
grams, less than half the weight of the Yukon boots. At the end of the walk the
sole was quite worn down but the uppers were still in good condition. The
Terrocs were far more comfortable than the boots. I wouldn’t go back to the
latter.

Watershed: Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar, a shaped tarp,
with an OookWorks mesh inner for a total weight of 1.16kg/2.5lbs. The Trailstar
pitches with trekking poles, saving some weight, and is made from silnylon. The
Trailstar is much roomier than the Phreeranger and very stable in strong winds.

Watershed: Rab Myriad Neoshell jacket weighing 15oz/430
grams. Both jackets provided the same protection and lasted the length of the
walks.

In the Richardson Mountains on the Yukon walk

Comparing these major items from walks 23 years apart it’s
noticeable that in all but one case the later items are lighter in weight. Why
is this so? We didn’t try to carry heavy packs all those years ago! One of the
major factors lies in materials development. Many lightweight materials that
are now standard including silnylon and titanium either didn’t exist or were
just appearing in 1990. Synthetic fabrics in general have become much lighter
whilst maintaining their durability which has meant lighter clothing, lighter
sleeping bag shells and, significantly, much lighter pack fabrics.

At the same time as materials were changing the ‘ultralight’
revolution started and with it the rise of small innovative cottage designers
and manufacturers who experimented with new designs and materials to produce
much lighter gear. This coincided with the rise of the Internet, which enabled
these new companies to reach a large worldwide audience.

A wet start to the Scottish Watershed walk

Changes in hiking styles have also had an effect, in
particular the growth in popularity of trekking poles. In 1990 using one staff
was unusual. By 2000 many walkers were using pairs of trekking poles. And
trekking poles meant that shelters with upright poles – ridge tents, pyramid
tents, tarps – had a new lease of life having just about disappeared by 1990
after a decade of curved pole tents.

Lighter weight gear also means lower bulk gear and that in
turn means packs can be smaller and lighter. On both the Yukon and Watershed
walks I carried ten days food at times and had room in my packs. Everything I
took on the Watershed walk would have performed well in the Yukon – indeed some
of it would have performed better despite being lighter weight.

Comparing the items from these walks makes me very glad we
have the gear of today, gear that is lighter yet just as functional as the gear
from a quarter of a century ago.

This piece first appeared, in a slightly different version, in The Great Outdoors Summer Gear Guide last year.

Really interesting to see the difference in weight. I am an Officer in the British Army and we have seen equipment improve vastly over the past 10 years. But with that improvement in kit, we have sen the overall weight a soldier is expected to carry increase ten fold. One of the reasons for this is the increased protection that is required and the reduced level of risk that is accepted. Another reason is as kit gets lighter, it is tempting for people to carry more which defeats the point of having light weight equipment.

I like the fact you double the use of your walking poles with the support for your shelter. Great idea.

Carrying 10 days of rations is impressive. From the look of your photos, it looks like you live fairly comfortably on the road without carrying excess equipment.